Skids used on deep mine auger machines



Dec. 13, 1966 G. 1.. ADAMS ET AL 3,291,534

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1 J CHAELESTGm/IM 7745/2 Arr n/5v United States Patent Ofifice 3,231,534Patented Dec. 13, 1966 3,291,534 SKIDS USED ON DEEP MINE AUGER MACHINESGeorge L. Adams, Canfield, Qhio, and Charles T. Govin,

Wauwatosa, Wis assignors to The Salem Tool Company, Salem, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio Original application Mar. 29, 1960, Ser. No. 18,356,now Patent No. 3,131,916, dated May 5, 1964. Divided and thisapplication Dec. 27, 1963, Ser. No. 333,814 7 Claims. (Cl. 299--55) Thisinvention relates generally to auger mining machines and moreparticularly to a deep mine auger machine that can be moved along a mineface to auger coal therefrom.

This invention is adivision of application Serial No. 18,356 filed March29, 1960, and now Patent No. 3,131,916 for Deep Mine Auger Machine.

In deep coal mining the seam may be too thin to properly mine by formingentries, main hauls, lateral tunnels and rooms. This is particularlytrue if the roof is normally bad and the cost in mining and shoving isgreater than the coal recovered. If such a vein of coal cannot be minedfrom the surface by the so-called punch mining method then it is farmore economical to properly shove parallel entries along a long coalface forming a block and auger the coal from both directions into theblock. In this way a goodly percentage of coal may be recovered withoutendangering the loss of expensive equipment and under conditions where aroof or coal fall with pinch a single auger.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a deep mineangering machine that has limited height wherein the independentlyoperable skids are hung up against the base with the skid cylindersmounted within the skids themselves for compactness of structure as wellas operation. This object also includes the use of the skidstransversely of the augering or mining mechanism which permits their usein conjunction with a tray at the side of the machine for receiving theaugering sections from the previously bored hole.

Other objects and advantages appear hereinafter in the followingdescription and claims.

The accompanying drawings show for the purpose of exemplificationwithout limiting the claims thereto, certain practical embodimentsillustrating the principles of this invention wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation showing the deep mine augeringmachine comprising this invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in top plan showing the deep mine angering machinecomprising this invention.

FIG. 3 is a view in front elevation of the deep mine auger machine withparts in section.

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view through a skid and showing thefeed drive shaft and sprockets.

FIG. 5 is a view in rear elevation showing the controls and the augerretrieving mechanism and the head and auger haul line mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a view in side elevation of the structure shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a view in side elevation showing the tray connected to theskids.

FIG. 8 is an end view of FIG. 7.

Referring principally to FIGS. 1 to 4 the frame 1 consists of the bottomplate 2 having the marginal side rails 3 and 4 secured thereto andprovided with the front and back upstanding ends walls 5 and 6. The endwallsare connected at their upper ends by the bar 7 which in thisinstance is shown to connect the end walls at substantially the centerof the machine. The pan 8 is secured to the inner face of each of theside rails 3 and 4 and is dished toward the center of the pan at thecenter of the machine as shown in FIG. 4. This pan provides a clean bedunder the operating structure of the auger machine. The marginal edgesat the end of the pan 8 are likewise secured to the upstanding walls 3and 4. At each of its four corners the frame 1 is provided with thevertically disposed jacks as indicated at 10 and 11 at the front of themachine and 12 and 13 at the rear of the machine. Another set ofvertical jacks 14 and 15 are positioned adjacent the jacks 12 for thepurpose of expanding to the roof and to cooperate with the jacks 12 and13 securing the rear end of the frame.

As shown in FIG. 1 the auger mining machine comprising this invention isprovided with a carriage 16 which is supported by the wheels 17 thatride on the top surface of the rails 3 and 4. Lateral guiding wheels 18are provided to ride on the outer surfaces of the rails 3 and 4 tomaintain the carriage on the track. The top of the carriage 16 isprovided with two sets of rollers 20 that ride on the under surface ofthe bar 7 and lateral rollers 21 are secured to the carriage to engagethe opposite sides of the bar 7 for retaining the carriage in positionand holding the same downwardly against the track.

The carriage 16 consists principally of the hydraulic motor 22 which ismounted to drive the reduction gear 23 for the purpose of rotating thecoupling 24. The transverse drive shaft 25 is driven by the hydraulicmotor 26. The shaft 25 is provided with a sprocket 27 and is connectedby a chain to the sprocket 28 on the jack shaft 30 carried in thebearings 31. An outboard sprocket 32 is connected by a chain to thesprocket 33 on the outer end of the shaft 34 which is carried by thebearings 35 of which there are four in number. Between each of thebearings 35 the shaft 34 is provided with a sprocket 36 and 37. Thesprocket 36 interengages and meshes with the chain 38 on the side rail 4while the sprocket 37 intermeshes and engages with the chain 39 on theside rail 3 and as the shaft 25 is reversed the carriage 16 is movedback and forth along the rails 3, 4 and 7 within the frame 1. The bottomplate 2 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided with the two sets ofspaced aligned pairs of brackets 42 and 43, 44 and 45 all of which areprovided with the inturned flanges 46 and 47 to receive and support theskids 48 and 49. Each of these skids has a bottom plate 50 and sides 51which form an upwardly open channel closed at its ends as indicated at52 by turning the bottom plate 50 upwardly. The sides 51 are capped bythe flanges 53 and 54 which form with the bottom plate 50 lateral slotsfor receiving the flanges 46 and 47 respectively. As shown in FIG. 4 theflange 54 is engaged by the rollers 55 journaled in the plate 2 andallow very little clearance between the top of the skids and the underside of the plate 2, thus providing for a minimum elevation of the framewith the rails 3 and 4.

A pivot means 56 secures the cylinder 57 to the side walls 51 of each ofthe skids and the opposite end of this cylinder has the piston 58extending therefrom. A bracket 6% depends from the rail 4 of the frameand is provided with a pivot means 61 to secure the end of the piston 58to the bracket 60. Each of the cylinders 57 of each skid is doubleacting and independently energized and operated so as to permit themachine to be moved laterally 0r guided or swung in a circle when thelifting jacks are raised above the skids. The pivotal means 56 and 61are employed to take up the clearance that the skids move relative tothe flanges 46 and 47 of the brackets that retain them in position onthe under side of the plate 2. Thus when the frame rests on the skids itdoes through the wheels 55 of which there are four for each skid asshown in FIG. 2.

When it is desired to haul the mining machine into the mine the skidsare unbolted from the under side of the frame and removed and the miningmachine is then rolled 3 on the car wheels 62 of which there are four asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

When the mining machine is in position the skids are left extended asillustrated in FIG. 2 for the purpose of receiving the tray 63. Thistray is made of a pair of ways constructed as shown at 64 and 65 oftubing and which are connected by the tie members 66 and 67. The tiemembers 66 are tubes bowed downwardly to connect the ways, whereas thetie members 67 are in the form of brackets having the outwardlyextending flanges 68 and 69 which embrace the opposed adjacent topflanges 54 and 53 of the skids 48 and 49 respectively as shown in FIGS.2 and 7. The forward end of the ways 64 and 65 are bent downwardly andoutwardly as indicated at 70 and 71 and are connected by a plate 72which forms an apron. This apron extends to the front of the machine asshown in FIG. 2 and enables the tray to receive an auger section drawnby the cable 73 over the pulley 74 mounted on the rear wall 6. As shownon FIGS. 2 and the cable 73 passes around the pulley 75 and is attachedto an anchor 76. The pulley in turn is mounted on a clevis 77 on the endof the rod 78 that operates within the cylinder 79. As the piston isdrawn into the cylinder the cable 73 draws the auger string out of thebored hole onto the rack 63.

As shown in FIG. 4 a carrier 80 is provided to run the top of the bar 70for the purpose of carrying the cables and hydraulic connections 81depending therefrom and which ride on the rollers 82.

As shown in FIG. 3 the front wall 5 has an enlarged opening 83 forreceiving the auger barrel 84 and the cutting head 85 which first passinto the coal and are followed by consecutive sections of auger flights.The barrel 84 is of the nonrotary type and is provided with the guides86. The hole 83 in the front wall 5 has a lower lip 87 secured theretofor the purpose of aiding in guiding the auger head and barrel.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 additional guides in the form of the tubularmembers 88 are pivoted as indicated at 89 to the front of the machineand brackets 90 are provided on the outer face of the jack cylinders tosupport the suspension members 91 and 92 that suspend the tubes 88together with the slides or casings 93 that pass over the tubes 88. Eachof these guides 93 are provided with an additional guide 94 and the tube93 is slotted at its inner end as indicated at 95 to permit the same tobe withdrawn and rotated and returned to move the guides 94 out of thepath of the augers after the barrel and the cutting head has passedthereover. The outer extension 96 of this guide may be dispensed withwhen the inner section 97 is all that is necessary. As shown theseguides are spaced parallel members which allow the coal to dropdownwardly therethrough when it reaches the mouth of the bored hole atthe front of the machine. Ordinarily a trough conveyor is laid along theface of the coal to receive and immediately remove the coal as it isaugered.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 two banks of controls 100 and 101 areprovided on the side of the machine and two of these controls from thebank of 100 are extended to the opposite side of the machine asindicated at 102. Also as shown in FIG. 2 a series of controls 103, 103and 105 are indicated on opposite sides of the machine to enable theoperator to actuate these controls from either side of the machine.

We claim:

1. An auger mining machine having front and back upstanding end wallsthe tops of which are connected and having track means for supporting acarriage carrying a rotary driven coupling to receive a drillingassembly operable through the front wall of said frame and having arotary power means to move said carriage back and forth to feed andretract said rotary driven coupling and drilling assembly, a set of fourvertically disposed lifting jacks quadrangularly disposed on said frameand retractable above the bottom of the same, two sets of spaced alignedpairs of brackets with inturned flanges on the under side of said bottomplate of said frame adjacent the front and rear of the same, a skid foreach set of spaced aligned pairs of brackets, each skid in the form ofan upwardly open channel closed at its ends to form a skid channel andhaving spaced parallel flanges on each side to receive said bracketflanges therebetween, a cylinder disposed within each skid channel,pivot means connecting one end of each cylinder within said skidchannel, bracket means depending from said frame into each skid channelbeyond the other end of said cylinder, a piston operable in eachcylinder and pivotally connected to said bracket, said cylinders beingindependently energized to move said skids back and forth independentyto move and steer said frame.

2. The skid structure of claim 1 which also includes rollers carried bysaid bottom plate adjacent each of said brackets and engaging the topflanges of said skids to support the weight of said frame on said skidswhen said jacks are withdrawn above the bottom of said frame.

3. The auger mining machine of claim 1 which also includes a retrievingtray having spaced parallel ways connected together, oppositely disposedbrackets depending from said tray, and spaced outwardly projectingflanges on each bracket to engage above and below the adjacent topflanges of said skids to support said tray for receiving retrieved augersections and position them for loading laterally into said open frame.

4. The auger mining machine of claim 3 characterized in that said waysof said retrieving tray slope downwardly and outwardly at the frontthereof to guide the auger sections on to said tray.

5. The auger mining machine of claim 3 characterized by a power operatedpull line on said frame, a pulley on said back wall to substantiallyalign said pull line with a previously bored hole to pull auger sectionson to said tray.

6. The auger mining machine of claim 3 characterized in that saidflanges on the brackets of said tray are bellshaped to permit loadingand unloading of said tray in said skids.

7. A coal mining machine comprising a frame having a mining mechanismwith a head for mining, lifting jacks on said frame for raising the samefrom the mine floor and retractable above the bottom of the frame, twosets of spaced aligned pairs of brackets with inturned flanges on theunder side of said frame adjacent the front and rear of the same, a skidfor each set of spaced aligned pairs of brackets, each skid in the formof an upwardly open channel closed at its ends to form a skid channeland having spaced parallel flanges on each side to receive said bracketflanges therebetween, rollers on said frame to engage said parallel skidflanges to support said frame for movement on said skids, a cylinderdisposed within each skid channel and below said spaced parallel skidflanges, pivot means connecting one end of each cylinder to said skidchannel, bracket means depending from said frame into each skid channelbeyond the other end of said cylinder, a piston operable in eachcylinder and pivotally connected to its respective depending bracket,said cylinders being independently energized to move said ikids back andforth independently to move and steer said rame.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,194,466 3/ 1940Cadwallader 29955 2,698,169 12/ 1954 Fawkes 29955 2,719,708 10/ 1955Compton 29956 2,935,309 5/1960 McCarthy 29955 X 2,940,740 6/1960 Adams29955 X 3,055,447 9/1962 Swanson et al 29931 X 3,131,916 5/1964 Adams etal. 29955 X ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner.

7. A COAL MINING MACHINE COMPRISING A FRAME HAVING A MINING MECHANISMWITH A HEAD FOR MINING, LIFTING JACKS ON SAID FRAME FOR RAISING THE SAMEFROM THE MINE FLOOR AND RETRACTABLE ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF THE FRAME, TWOSETS OF SPACED ALIGNED PAIRS OF BRACKETS WITH INTURNED FLANGES ON THEUNDER SIDE OF SAID FRAME ADJACENT THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE SAME, A SKIDFOR EACH SET OF SPACED ALIGNED PAIRS OF BRACKS, EACH SKID IN THE FORM OFAN UPWARDLY OPEN CHANNEL CLOSED AT ITS ENDS TO FORM A SKID CHANNEL ANDHAVING SPACED PARALLEL FLANGES ON EACH SIDE TO RECEIVE SAID BRACKETFLANGES THEREBETWEEN, ROLLERS ON SAID FRAME TO ENGAGE SAID PARALLEL SKIDFLANGES TO SUPPORT SAID FRAME FOR MOVEMENT ON SAID SKIDS, A CYLINDERDISPOSED WITHIN EACH SKID CHANNEL AND BELOW SAID SPACED PARALLEL SKIDFLANGES, PIVOT MEANS CONNECTING ONE END OF EACH CYLINDER TO SAID SKIDCHANNEL, BRACKET MEANS DEPENDING FROM SAID FRAME INTO EACH SKID CHANNELBEYOND THE OTHER END OF SAID CYLINDER, A PISTON OPERABLE IN EACHCYLINDER AND PIVCYLINDERS BEING INDEPENDENTLY ENERGIZED TO MOVE SAIDSKIDS BACK AND FORTH INDEPENDENTLY TO MOVE AND STEER SAID FRAME.